Hackers could train sex robots to kill, cyber security expert warns

File photo: Catalan nanotechnology engineer Sergi Santos holds the head of Samantha, a sex doll packed with artificial intelligence providing her the capability to respond to different scenarios and verbal stimulus, in his house in Rubi, north of Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2017. Picture taken March 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)

A cyber security buff has issued a bizarre warning that sex robots could one day rise up and kill their owners if hackers can get inside their heads.

With sex robots becoming increasingly popular and sophisticated, Cyber security lecturer Dr Nick Patterson revealed that the lifelike dolls could end up going all Terminator on us.

However, in the case of sex robots, the danger isn't that the love dolls will end up developing minds of their own, Westworld-style.

Instead, the risk is that hackers could breach the realistic robots' inner defences and catch out their owners with their pants down.

Dr Patterson told Star Online that hacking into many modern-day robots, including sexbots, would be a piece of cake compared to more sophisticated gadgets like mobiles and computers.

The tech expert, from Deakin University, Australia, said: "Hackers can hack into a robot or a robotic device and have full control of the connections, arms, legs and other attached tools like in some cases knives or welding devices.

“Once a robot is hacked, the hacker has full control and can issue instructions to the robot."

The warning may sound a little far fetched, but the robots run using an operating system just like a phone or PC.

And as with all devices, if that system is ever connected to the internet, then it becomes possible for hackers to break in to it.

The cyber defence guru added: "The last thing you want is for a hacker to have control over one of these robots.

"Once hacked they could absolutely be used to perform physical actions for an advantageous scenario or to cause damage.”